St. Paul daily globe., 1887-05-22
KEEPS PIGEONS RECORDS.
The Novel Business of a New York
Woman-.-Homin9B BirdS.

The Novel Business of New York
Woman---HomingB Birds.
A carrier-pigeon was found dead in a
farmyard at Chester, Va, the other day.
The finder did not know carrier from
any other kind of pigeon, but, as he was
idly examining the bird, he noticed a
little tag attached to the feathers. On
this was written these figures: O563, and
the words, caught or shot, report
this number to Starr, New York" 1t
was a. good deal, of mystery still to the
finder, but after Speaking to a few
friends about it, he found one who
knew that the bird was a carrier, and
had been sent cut onya race. A message
was accordingly sent to "Starr, New
York, y as requested on the tag ''Starr,
New York; is a. little woman who de-
votes herself to the interests of pigeon
flying; and keeps the run of about all
one has to climb feur;dark flights to the
top of a rickety old building at the cor
ner,9of Courtlandt O and Washington
streets. AS she is an enthusiast upon
the subject, visitors who want to learn
anything about pigeons find a ready
welcome and no little information. All
pigeon fiyerS-and' their number is in
creaSing every, year-Send her accounts
of their birds, and In the event of race
the birds are sometimes sent also to be
registered. But; as arule, she is noti-
fed as soon as a bird is hatched, and
she. makes such entries in her pom
derOus record books as fix that birds
identity until he dies from old
ago or shot from a careless hunter.
When she received word that 0563 had
been picked up dead, she referred to her
books and found that one of the most re-
markable birds in the land had been
lost. To beSure, all the pigeon-fyers
had given this bird up months ago, for
he had not been heard of since last Oc-
tober, but no one knew what became of
him. The liFd was owned by William
Bennert, of Newark, N. j., one of the
centers of pigeOn-fiying interests. The
bird had not been named. 1t was blue
male, and was hatched in the spring of
1886. 1t had been in three races, in one
of which it was among the six that made
the best record to Newark, and the feat
was second only to the. best young fly
bird in America. The best record was
made by Philadelphia pigeons in 1883.
In the case of 0563, the start was made
at Liberty, Va, from which place to
Newark it is 36S miles, air line. The
birds were liberated at 6 :25 on the morn
ing of Oct. 1, 1856, and the first bird to
report at its loft in Newark arrived at
4 IA of the same day. A few minutes
later 0563 came in, and his average speed
for the journey was 1,099 yards minute.
About week later this bird, with three
others, was taken to Morgantown, N.
c., 527 miles from home. None of them
were heard from until Mrs. Starr re-
ceived the report of the death of 0563.
Mrs. Starr thinks that pigeon-fying
has come to be a standard gentlemen's
sport in America. AT present the
amusement is free from all Objectionable
features, and as each year passes i'm
provements are made in the method of
Keeping the records of the birds. New
books have been opened this spring
which, in few years, will be of great
value to lovers of the sport, for they will
contain the minutest race. But the
most important change this season is in
the device for marking birds. 1t was
formerly done by marking the feathers
and attaching a tag; but henceforth
a light seamless band Of silver